


A Girl’s Gotta Do What a Girl’s Gotta Do

by avrelia



Series: The World of Infinite Hope - canon compliant stories [6]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Day At The Beach, F/M, Gen, Missing Scene, The Gaang - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23360833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avrelia/pseuds/avrelia
Summary: A day in live of the Gaang from the point of view of Suki. Set after Ember Island Players and before The Sozin's Comet, Suki contemplates her life and her involvement in the war as she settles in as a  member of the Gaang.
Relationships: Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Series: The World of Infinite Hope - canon compliant stories [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1858519
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30





	A Girl’s Gotta Do What a Girl’s Gotta Do

**Author's Note:**

> It's my attempt to imagine the life of the Gaang hiding in the Fire Lords' Summer residence. Mostly features Suki/Sokka, but other canon pairing might be mentioned or implied.

Suki sat on a beach and looked at the ocean in front of her. Warm waves lapped at her feet, unfamiliar birds glided above in the sky, trying to hunt unfamiliar fish. No signs of elephant koi, no signs of Unagi, either. Nearby her boyfriend was playing with sand and sticks, and at her back the summer residence of the Fire lords stood, reminding that her world changed several times in the past year.

Suki reflected on changes, marveling again and again at everything that happened in such short period of time. 

Ocean is constant change, but life on their tiny island was the same for years. They trained. Their grandmothers protected the island, then their their mothers protected the island, and there was their turn. So they trained and were ready, and put on their uniform every day repeating like mantra “The silk threads symbolize the brave blood that flows through our veins. The gold insignia represents the honor of the warrior's heart.” The truth was, the uniform and the makeup did help them to feel braver, to be ready. The other truth was that their island was forgotten by both Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, and there were nobody to fight. And when the Fire Nation came – a tiny ship, as it turned out, trying to catch the Avatar, it burned down the village and didn’t even notice it. So much for years of training, for being prepared to face any danger… 

It was a wake-up call as much as appearance of the Avatar on their island was. Then there was another wake-up call, just as unexpected. Suki turned around and looked at Sokka. He was drawing something in the sand, frowning and making weird sounds. She smiled indulgently. Remembering their meeting on her island she still got a silly pleasant tingle in her heart. If somebody told her a year ago she’ll be madly in love with a boy who said girls couldn’t be warriors at their first meeting, she’d laugh. But, well, he turned out to be a very fast learner.

After the Avatar and his friends left, she knew her life couldn't be the same. She had to do something that really mattered, so she, together with her warriors who felt the same, left the island to fight the war. And were stuck on boring and meaningless guard duty in the middle of Earth Kingdom. It still was something. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, right? They could hardly be expected to be sent on front lines, especially being literally unknown girls. But eventually the guard duty felt too stifling for them and they left to find what else they can do to help. And the only useful thing they did was to help Appa before meeting those Fire Nation girls who took them prisoners. That was ridiculous and upsetting, especially since she was separated from her warriors and put in a different prison. Of course, it also led to her escaping said prison. But what now? She was literally a general without an army. What could she do in a company of the Avatar and his amazingly powerful friends? Her thoughts kept circling around her uselessness, bringing her further and further into a dark chasm of doubts.

“Yes!!!”

“What?” Suki turned to watch her boyfriend making some kind of crazy dance moves.

“oh, nothing much, just had a cool idea.” Sokka smiled proudly and came closer, leaving his drawing to be washed away by the waves.

“Sokka. How are you doing?” she asked suddenly.

“Fine, thank you, how are you?” He made an exaggerated bow.

“No. I mean: as a nonbender without special powers among this crazy crowd?”

“I have a special power – I am not crazy!”

She looked at him.

“That’s not so obvious, actually. You know what I am asking, aren’t you?”

He grew serious and sat down hugging her. “I know. And the answer is… I try not to think about it. They are my friends. And my sister. My family. As strange it sounds. Well, I am not sure if I would count Zuko as family, because that line of thought leads to a very wrong direction...”

“Sokka!” she laughed “Keep your thoughts on a question!”

“That’s what I am doing! Anyway, I do what I can and don’t think much. I mean, occasionally I do think, and find it disturbing, but as experience suggests, they need me. I find myself useful. And you’ll find that you are irreplaceable, too. What would we do at the Boiling Rock if you didn’t capture the warden so neatly?”

“Some rescuers you are.” She grinned and kissed him. “I was so happy to see you, I thought my fighting in the war was over before it properly started.”

“And now you can enjoy chilling out in Fire Lord own beach home, isn’t it fun? Fighting in the war is overrated, anyway.”

“Really?”

“Well. Before I started traveling with Aang, the war seemed a much glorious business… The legends of brave waterbenders that fought in vain, the sudden and deadly Fire nation raids, the men who left to fight, it all seemed… I don’t know. And then it ended up trying to figure out what to do while scared shitless. And angry and annoyed.” 

“I know what you mean. I need to be useful…”

“Suki, I have no doubt you’ll be crucial for the victory.” 

“You just want to be on my good side.”

“Maybe. I love your good side! It soooo good.”

Some time later, they walked on the warm dark sand together making silly faces at each other and the bird, whom Sokka insisted on calling “the enemy birds” and tried to scare away by rolling his eyes. Suki laughed and kicked the sand, and felt happy wondering privately how was it even possible to feel so happy at such a wrong time.  
They kissed, and walked, and splashed in the playful little waves, and kissed again, and laughed without any reason, and talked about stuff none of them could remember later. And then they stopped at the large rock for more kissing and laughing.

“Hey, I am here!” the grumpy voice sounded from under the rock.

Suki looked over the rock and discovered the grumpy owner of the grumpy voice. Zuko sat with his back to the rock and stared at the ocean in front of him.

“What are you doing here?”

“Sitting.”

“And who’s teaching Aang?”

“Toph claimed him for now. Said he probably forgot how to move earth with all the puffing around.”

“Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“I was hoping you just pass and leave me alone.”

“We would, but this rock is very convenient for kissing and making out.” Sokka chimed in to explain.

“I know.”

Sokka made an understanding face at this, and Suki couldn’t help but giggled. Her kissing mood passed, and she moved over and sat next to Zuko. Sokka also sat close, putting his arm around her in, perhaps, an unconscious desire to protect her. She privately rolled her eyes – he was the one who went and fell in love with someone else – but she loved the feeling of his arm, so she circled her arm around his back and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Tell me about your girlfriend.” She asked Zuko, much to everyone’s surprise. “What’s up with her?”

“What do you mean?”

“She saved all our lives back at the Boiling Rock. And you seemed to be as surprised by it as we were.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Anything. The first time we saw her with your sister and another friend, we fought and they won – not easily, but it was three against six, and we ended up in prisons. I both hate it and impressed. The next time, she saves our lives.”

“She probably didn’t notice us at all.” Sokka said.

“Probably.” Zuko agreed.

“What’s her deal? Your sister seemed quite happy to finish us all.”

Zuko shrugged noncommittally.

“Do you think she is ok?”

Another shrug and hardly audible “Don’t know.”

“Hey, don’t torture the guy, he is doing a great job of it himself.” Sokka said in mock outrage. 

“Fine.” 

Suki caught a grateful glance from Zuko and smiled. She’ll find out it all eventually. 

“It doesn’t really matter why she did it. She saved my life, and Sokka’s…”

“And my dad’s!”

“It was brave. And awesome.”

Silent nod. 

Suki changed the topic. “Can you imagine that when we first met, Sokka didn’t believe girls could fight well?” 

“Hey! Why do you need to?” 

In response to Sokka’s indignation she turned and quickly kissed him in the cheek. 

Zuko looked at them as if she said something totally incomprehensible. He turned to Sokka, “But you’ve known Katara all your life.”

“You know, she was just a little sister. You get used to them, and...”

“I HAVE a little sister. That’s exactly how I learned not to underestimate them.”

Sokka shrugged, conceding the point. 

Suki found a nice flat stone and threw it into the water. The stone made fifteen satisfying plonks before disappearing forever in the ocean depths. Sokka immediately tried to find another stone to throw, but when he did, his stone manages only seven plonks. That didn’t sit well with him, and he gathered all flat stones he could find and started trying to get close to Suki’s number.

Zuko sat glaring at the ocean and trying to feign disinterest, then gave up and asked “What are you doing?”

“Skipping stones.” And seeing his uncomprehending expression, explained. “When you throw a ston in the water, it sinks, but if you get a smooth flat stone and throw it just right, it will skip several times on the water’s surface before sinking.”

“Why do you do it?”  
Sokka took the initiative “Are you familiar with the concept of fun?”

“With the concept, yes.” Zuko scowled. Was he trying to smile, Suki wondered.

Sokka continued, with the air of a guru, “Us, non-benders, have to come up with our own entertainment, so we perfect all kinds of skills.”

“I guess.” 

“Here, try it yourself.” And he passed Zuko a stone.

Zuko took it and threw in the water. The stone predictably sank.

“No, you have to throw it so it would fall flat, like this.” Suki took a stone from the pile, and threw it, getting a satisfying number of twenty one plonk.

“How do you do it?”

“I grew up on a tiny island. There wasn’t much to do for fun except for riding elephant koi, warrior training and throwing stuff in the water.”

They sat and threw stones into the water for some time, now without trying to compete. Finally Zuko got up, shook sand off, said, “I’m going to check on Aang. He is supposed to start repeating our morning lesson by now. Don’t be too late for dinner.” and left without looking back.

“I just can’t get used to the fact that he can be so normal.” Sokka got up and stretched.

“Normal is such a relative concept.” Suki put her arms around his heck and murmured. “I can’t get used to the fact that you’re so awesome.” And then she kissed him.

Sokka broke the kiss, frowned as if in deep contemplation, “Yeah, me neither.” and kissed her back.

The rock was indeed very convenient for making out.

**Author's Note:**

> This story was hanging out in my WIPs for several months, until I realized it's a three chapter story, and the first chapter is all done, while the rest require a lot of work still. So I decided to post it now - it's a little cheerful thing that can stand on its own, and work on the rest without fretting.


End file.
